Annual Licensing Policy for Opium Cultivation for 2025-26:
The Union Government has announced the annual licensing policy for opium poppy cultivation in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh for 2025-26, increasing eligible farmers to 1.21 lakh.The opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) is an annual medicinal herb belonging to the Papaveraceae family. It is the primary source of opium gum, which contains alkaloids like morphine, codeine, and thebaine, widely used in modern medicine as painkillers, cough suppressants, and antispasmodics. Apart from medicinal use, it is also grown for edible seeds and seed oil.Opium Cultivation in India is the only country authorized by the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961) to produce gum opium. 11 other countries cultivate opium poppy, but they do not extract gum. Opium poppy has been cultivated in India since the 10th century. It became a federal monopoly during the Mughal period in the 16th century, came under British control from 1773, and is now regulated by the Indian government.
